Thereafter
by semul
Summary: A tender moment between Michonne and Rick. They find clarity following their first night together. One-shot. Headcanon for what we didn't get to see in 6x11 "Knots Untie".


Michonne slowly sat down on the edge of her bed, carefully resting her katana next to her against the soft comforter. She let out a controlled exhale. Everything seemed surreal.

Her and Rick. Rick and her. Kissing, touching, naked, skin on skin, images of the thrilling details of last night flashing before her.

They'd had sex. Pure ravenous, cathartic sex. Twice. Her stomach fluttered at the memory. It was spur of the moment yet a long time coming. It caught her off guard yet she'd never felt more certain.

It made perfect sense. To her, anyway. She didn't know how Rick felt. She wouldn't know for sure until they found a moment to themselves.

Though, it didn't seem like that was going to happen anytime soon.

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 _Earlier…_

Thoroughly satiated, they fell asleep, their skin damp with sweat and their bodies sore from exercising rarely used muscles. After a deliciously tiring second round of sex, Michonne had passed out with her arm draped across Rick's chest and her leg entwined with his. His hand lay comfortably on her ass. She didn't mind but even if she did, she was too tired to protest.

Helping put Deanna to rest and confronting Carl about his recklessness had stirred up several emotions that she'd been avoiding. Family. Belonging. Her past. It was as if they'd all decided to reappear the second things felt like they were going back to normal. She had no choice but to deal with all of it head on. It all culminated into making the biggest, non-survival related decision she'd made for herself in long time.

Rick. Ending up in bed with him had not happened on a whim. He meant so much to her. She trusted him, admired him, and accepted him for who he was. She embraced him entirely and in turn found that her sentiments were not unrequited.

He was the partner she never knew she needed, the family she thought she'd never get back. To end up entwined in each other's arms was such a natural step to take. She felt him stir beneath her through a thick, sleepy haze. Instinctively, she protectively extended her hand across his chest, promptly slipping back into a semi-unconscious state of bliss.

"Rick, wake up."

The instant her ears registered an unfamiliar voice, she felt him hastily jerk out of her embrace. Her entire body flew into action as if on auto pilot.

She unsheathed her katana and steadily held it poised in defense, knitting her brow as she blearily gazed at the dark figure before them. She could tell it was an unfamiliar figure of a man. He didn't appear to be threatening but her heart beat wildly in her chest and adrenaline shot through her, tensing every muscle in her body. She maintained her composure as she blinked the sleep from her eyes.

He had his hands up in a gesture of surrender. He calmly declared, "We should talk."

She glanced over at Rick waiting for him to make the first move. From the way he was holding his gun, she could tell he was more annoyed than threatened, though that could change quickly depending on this man's next move. She tightened her grip on her sword, preparing for the worst.

"Get out," Rick snarled at the stranger, his voice thick from sleep.

The man studied his face for a moment before realizing his life was the pull of a trigger away from ending. Rick was forgiving but it was not without limits.

He slightly smirked before quietly assenting. "I'll wait for you out here."

He glanced at her, his eyes never inappropriately straying, as he carefully backed out of the room closing the door behind him.

Rick uncocked his gun, lowering it to his side. His stance relaxed though the heightened sense of awareness did not fade. He glanced at her while she lowered her sword.

"You alright?"

She blinked at him, her mind trying to catch up with their situation. She curtly nodded. "He's the guy you found?"

"Mmm," Rick mumbled affirmatively, rubbing his forehead in annoyance at their rude awakening.

She nodded again as she sheathed and rested her katana against the night stand. She felt equally annoyed and startled by the stranger's sudden appearance. Tiredly rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she plopped down on the edge of the bed. The fear she'd initially felt ebbed away. If Rick had brought him to Alexandria, it was for good reason. He'd never invite a dangerous man into their sanctuary willingly.

"Daryl was supposed to be watchin' him," he offered as an explanation, setting his gun down on the nightstand. He sat down on the mattress, stretching his back out with a quiet groan.

She sharply inhaled in realization. Though the man was more irritating than dangerous, he was still a stranger. And Daryl wasn't home as he usually was. She looked back at Rick. "The kids."

He turned and locked eyes with her as the truth sunk in; they'd left a complete stranger alone in their home with a sleeping Carl and Judith. They hurriedly sifted through the pile of discarded clothes on the floor, flinging items at each other as they quickly got dressed.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

If her heart hadn't been racing so violently in her chest, she might have felt conscientious of how incredibly naked she'd been in that moment. Seeing Rick naked and him seeing her didn't faze her, it was Jesus that had her a bit freaked out. How much had he seen? With any luck, not enough so that this particular first impression couldn't fade away.

Though he wasn't the only one to witness their morning after. She could still feel all their eyes on her. Carl, Glenn, Daryl, Abraham, they'd all seen her in her clothes from the day before, following a half-naked Rick from his bedroom. Of course, they put two and two together. Their shocked expressions gave that away. Except for Carl. He'd seemed confused at first but that quickly turned into a knowing smirk he flashed at her when they were gathered at the table. It was as if he'd literally caught her with her hand in the cookie jar. It was disconcerting to say the least.

She'd always felt a maternal connection to Carl, especially since that day in King's County, but never saw herself as his mother. She loved the Grimes children; they were her family. She would give her life for them in a second but to step in as their mother? That was complicated territory. Or would it be stepmother? Or would she just be their dad's girlfriend? Or was she getting ahead of herself? She closed her eyes and rubbed her brow in frustration.

"Hey."

Her eyes flew open. Rick. His soothing voice immediately put her at ease. She glanced up at him and sighed. He had changed into a plain white t-shirt and haphazardly combed his hair. He'd even managed to decently change and dress Judith in the midst of all the morning chaos. He now carried her, gently bouncing her in his arms as she played with a small plastic cup. He gave Michonne a small smile with concern in his eyes.

"You okay?"

Michonne nodded with a certainty she didn't truly feel, gazing at Judith pat her toy. "I'm okay."

She carefully glanced up to meet his gaze. She could see past his gentle smile and saw his worry and a reflection of the insecurity she was currently feeling. She tried to give him a reassuring smile but it felt more like a grimace stretched across her lips.

He glanced down nervously. "About last night," he began tentatively.

Her gaze shifted as she silently awaited the rest of his sentence, her nerves on edge and heart poised to fall.

"It was...that was, uh," Rick grinned and bit his bottom lip, as he shifted Judith to his other arm, "It was good. Real good."

Her lips quirked at his eloquence. She could tell by his bright gaze that he meant it.

"It was," she agreed, glancing up at him.

She wanted him to resolve the uncertainties she was feeling but needed him to clarify his side of things without her pushing him. She didn't want to force him into anything he wasn't ready for. She silently waited for him to continue.

He looked at her with a coy smile and shifted his stance. His eyes darted down for a moment before looking back up at her through his eyelashes. "We didn't, uh, get a chance to talk about us. This."

She deeply inhaled, bracing herself. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

It was then that Judith began to fuss, squirming her way out of her dad's arms. Rick gently sat her down and watched as she began slowly crawling her way around Michonne's bedroom floor with a sense of familiarity. She watched the toddler with a soft smile on her lips. Judith's innocence and curiosity always managed to make her heart feel full of love and pride. She was a strong little girl, resilient to the suffering she'd already - and unknowingly - experienced. She couldn't help but love her just like she couldn't help but love Carl.

She looked up at Rick, studying him as he gazed at his daughter. They were her family. He was her family. And last night confirmed what she'd felt growing inside of her for the past several months: she was in love with Rick Grimes.

It was the only thing that could explain how she'd ended up opening up to him so quickly last night. It wasn't just the mints. It wasn't just the fact that he'd thought about her in the midst of a drama-filled run. It was the fact that she loved him and it felt right. It still felt right. She just needed him to confirm his side of things.

"She's happy here," he said contemplatively before raising his gaze up to her, "Safe. And Carl, after everything, he's finally comin' 'round. We got a second chance 'cause of you. You kept us together and I can't thank you enough for that."

He looked at her gratefully. She slowly nodded appreciating his acknowledgment. She was fully aware of Rick's hardheadedness. It helped keep them alive but there were times when it would get in the way of him seeing things clearly. Those were the times when she asserted herself, not just for his sake but for the sake of the family. And though she was glad he was grateful, that wasn't answering any of the questions that still hung in the air.

As if on cue, he dipped his head and rested his hands on his hips before finishing what he wanted to say. "But last night, last night was different. It was just us. You and me figurin' things out, findin' each other."

He looked at her, searching her eyes for confirmation of what he'd felt. Luckily, he'd described it exactly the way she'd felt it. Her eyelashes fluttered as she nodded.

He swallowed nervously and quickly continued before he lost his nerve. "I want you by my side. Not just out there but in here with me and the kids. We need you. I-I need you."

She studied his eyes as he said the words that she had once used to convince him to let her stay with the group. _Either way, you need me._ That moment seemed so far away. Things were different now. They were different people. She needed him and he needed her. It was as simple as that. He looked so exposed awaiting her reply, showing a vulnerability she'd rarely seen.

She looked down coyly. "You do," she agreed, looking at him teasingly, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

He softly chuckled at her confident affirmation. He nodded with a grin and continued in a quiet voice, "Yeah, I do. Our world, it's gettin' bigger, things are changin'. It's not gonna be easy but you see how it really is. You make me see it that way and I need that."

She looked down at her gloved hands, nervously rubbing her exposed fingertips. He was right. Things were heading down an unknown path and they needed each other more than ever.

Rick licked his lips and lowered his gaze. "Last night made me realize what we have, it's-it's different, strong, and I want to see it through." He looked at her with a hopeful expression yet preparing himself for whatever she decided.

She blinked at him for a moment, coming to terms with the fact that Rick Grimes had just laid out his heart to her and was letting her know that he was ready for a relationship and he wanted it with her. She nervously inhaled. She was ready. After everything she'd gone through, after everything he'd gone through, this was it, the point where their paths converged. It was a clear choice.

She confidently replied, "I do, too."

He slightly raised his eyebrows, hoping he'd heard right. "Yeah?"

She sighed, a sense of determination growing within her. "I want this. You, Carl, Judith, this place, I want all of it."

He bit back an elated smile. "Good 'cause you're a part of it. An important part."

"I am. I want to be."

"Alright then. Good. That's good 'cause there ain't no refunds or returns."

Smiles spread across their faces as they realized the significant step they'd just taken. They'd been a family, they'd been partners, and now they were a couple. From now on, not only would they share their joys and burdens but an intimacy impassioned with the need to survive. Their love for each other would only grow.

It was then that Judith crawled toward Michonne and patted her boot, tearing her away from her thoughts. She bent down and scooped her up.

"Yeah, how's that sound, baby girl? You alright with that?" she happily asked, rubbing her nose against her soft cheek. The little girl giggled joyfully as she clapped her hands together as if to give her blessing.

Michonne stood up and bounced her on her hip, grabbing her katana with her free hand. "Looks like I got one Grimes child convinced."

"I'll talk to Carl."

She sighed wearily, walking towards him with Judith in her arms. "I didn't want him to find out like that."

"He'll be fine. It's not like he walked in on us or anything. Not yet anyhow."

She smiled at him in disbelief. Rick's confidence surprised her sometimes. In a world where nothing was sure, he often had moments where he seemed so certain. Though in this case, if they weren't careful, he would probably be right.

He gave her a confident smirk and shrugged his shoulder. "The law of averages."

She half-heartedly rolled her eyes as she placed a kiss on his daughter's soft curls. "Yeah, well, you and your law of averages need to get ready. They're loading the RV." She handed Judith back to him, gently stroking her small back.

Before walking through the door, she stood close to him, shoulder to shoulder, as her hand traveled down next to his. He instantly entwined their fingers together, clasping her gloved hand tightly.

"Hey," he said gently.

"Hey," she responded quietly.

It felt like they were finally seeing each other for the first time and wanted to greet each other properly. She looked up at him and studied his hopeful gaze. She could feel his optimism energize her, reinvigorate what she'd felt on the couch the previous night.

He leaned down, his eyes half-lidded. She hesitantly found his lips with hers, pressing them gently against his. It felt like the first time and yet so familiar. They kept it sweet and full of promise.

She slowly pulled away and looked up at him searchingly. "We gotta go."

He wet his lips, savoring her taste and staring at her mesmerized. "Yeah."

She gave his hand a quick squeeze and walked away. He watched her leave, in awe of the fact that he'd found her in the midst of all this horror and that she'd chosen him in spite of his many flaws.

"How 'bout that?" he asked to no one in particular. He looked at his daughter as her eyes followed Michonne down the stairs.

"Ready, sweetheart?" She looked up at him and responded with delighted gibberish. He smiled at her, a renewed sense of purpose growing within him. It was a change but a step in the right direction. Hopefully, Carl would see it the same way.

He rest his lips against his daughter's silky hair and murmured, "Alright then, let's see if we can find your brother and tell him the good news."

They made their way downstairs, their hearts content and the future hopeful.

* * *

 _ **Hi there!**_

 _ **Thanks so much for reading! This is my first attempt at Richonne fanfiction. To be completely honest, I was super intimidated to post this given that this fandom has AMAZING fanfic authors. But I've fallen in love with Rick and Michonne so much this past year, I couldn't help myself. :)**_

 _ **I hope my Ichabbie readers don't mind me taking a break from my other work. (I promise I haven't given up. I just need to get the creative juices flowing again.)**_

 _ **Anyway, I truly hope you enjoyed my small drop in the Richonne bucket! Comments/messages/feedback/greetings are always welcome! Much thanks!**_

 _ **Love,**_

 _ **semul**_


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